Mount St. Mary teen ?includes faith in first novel

When reading one of your favorite books, how often do you think of the author as you come to an exciting plot twist? Do you ever wonder what they were thinking as they wrote one of the chapters that is making you sit on the edge of your seat? Well, when the author of that book is one of your classmates, you may find yourself doing just that! Kristina Rovison, a 16-year-old junior at Mount St. Mary Academy, proudly admits she is a dedicated student, cheerleader, horseback rider and published author.

With a charismatic personality and bubbly laugh, Kristina talked with NeXt about her book, "Pieces of a Mending Heart."

When asked how she came up with the idea to write her story, Kristina said it was the story she had always wanted to read that had never been written.

"I had had the idea for this story in my head for a while before I decided to start writing it," Kristina said.

However, the idea for the story received a complete overhaul after an eye-opening summer camp she attended.

"After attending the camp, I found my faith again and decided to incorporate it in my book," said Kristina.

It took Kristina two months to write "Pieces of a Mending Heart" and eight months to edit it. She did all of her own editing, to which she devoted about an hour a day.

"It was difficult at times to balance all of my extracurricular activities along with working on my book," she said.

When describing the first time she saw her book in print, Kristina's blue eyes light up and a proud smile fills her face. "I came home one day and I saw a big package on my doorstep," she says. "I jumped right out of the car to go open it!

"It is a truly amazing feeling to see your hard work pay off," she said.

Kristina's advice for young adults who want to be published authors is: "Go for it! It's a great feeling and very rewarding to know that people appreciate your work and are genuinely enjoying it! ... Be as creative as possible with your ideas! Write something that has never been done before!"

A sequel, "Fractured Heart," is in the works.

"I plan to have it finished by the end of August," said Kristina.

She is also working on another book with a futuristic, sci-fi plot.

"I don't usually write things like that, but for that story, it just felt right," ?she said.

Interested in reading "Pieces of a Mending Heart?" Check out the "Pieces of a Mending Heart" Facebook page or visit Amazon.com to purchase your own copy.